Agency Tells Automakers to Speed Up Airbag Fixes

WASHINGTON — Facing increasing scrutiny of how it handled the recall of dangerously defective airbags, the nation’s auto safety regulator sent a letter on Wednesday to 10 major automakers and Takata, the airbags’ maker, urging a faster response.

The letter from the regulator, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, came as a House committee requested an investigation into the agency. Two other government reviews are underway.

While the letter says “more can and should be done as soon as possible to prevent any further tragedies,” it asks only for answers to a list of questions about the recall. Those include what automakers have done to encourage vehicle owners to come in for repairs, including whether they have provided loaner vehicles or expanded service hours.

“We expect Takata and the manufacturers to act quickly to increase production of replacement airbags and testing of returned airbags,” David J. Friedman, the agency’s deputy administrator, said in a statement. He indicated the agency would seek weekly meetings on the recall with officials from Takata’s parent company, starting Thursday.

After issuing an unusually stark alert last week that urged drivers to immediately fix the airbags, the agency came under fire after it became clear that not enough replacement parts were available and that drivers might need to wait months for repairs.

The outcry, and a scathing rebuke from Capitol Hill, helped prompt an overall review of the agency by the Transportation Department. The department’s inspector general was already conducting a separate inquiry.

On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has been reviewing General Motors’ ignition switch recall, formally asked that the Government Accountability Office conduct its own investigation.

More than 14 million cars have been recalled worldwide by Honda and 10 other automakers because of the faulty Takata airbags, including 11 million in the United States. At least three deaths and more than 30 injuries have been attributed to the defect, which can cause airbags to rupture even in a minor accident, sending shrapnel into the vehicle.

Cindy Knight, a spokeswoman for Toyota, said in an email that the carmaker would review the agency’s letter. She did not say when parts would be available.

Honda and Takata could not be reached for comment.

On Tuesday, one of the nation’s largest auto sales groups, AutoNation, said it would stop selling cars with Takata airbags. Used cars are a concern because laws do not require them to be fixed before being sold to consumers.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have also taken an interest in Takata’s defects, as they did after recalls by Toyota and G.M. But in this case, people briefed on the matter said, prosecutors are likely to temporarily defer to federal regulators handling the more pressing task of getting the airbags off the road.

Aaron M. Kessler reported from Washington, and Hiroko Tabuchi from New York. Ben Protess contributed reporting from New York.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B13 of the New York edition with the headline: Agency Tells Automakers to Speed Up Airbag Fixes. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe